


I'm Really Trying

by Kyozumiibeans



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: AU, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Basically the kids are the councilors and the councilors are kids, Camp Camp - Freeform, Councilor Swap, Davey is ROTTEN TO THE CORE, Depression, Drama, Fluff, Gwen just wants her British Doctor to be real, Jasper and Davey gradually become closer, Jasper lives au, Light Angst, M/M, Max is still cynical and hates everything, Max won't let Davey turn out like him, Neil is an atheist, Slow Burn, Small fight, Swearing, The kids are like 14ish, Unrequited Love, daniel is a camper now, its good I promise, mature language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2018-12-31 19:04:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12139077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyozumiibeans/pseuds/Kyozumiibeans
Summary: Working at Camp Campbell for the past few summers - Max, Nikki, and Neil have seen some real weird kids. However, it was nothing they couldn't handle. But what happens when they come across an angry red head named Davey out to cause chaos, Gwen; a cynical little girl  with a dry sense of humor, and of course, Jasper, a happy ball of sunshine with too much love for the camp?This summer is going to be a long one.--------------AKA Jasper and Davey pining for each other





	1. Beginning of Camp Hell

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've been seeing this idea floating around for quite a bit and thought it would be fun to write! I'm pretty excited about this, actually.

The sun shone bright, warm rays through the mountain forest. Chirping birds and the sound of soft blowing wind resonated sleepily through Camp Campbell. Summer was barely beginning, as schools released its students around a week before. It was finally time for the accursed summer camp to begin.

Standing in front of the mess hall, sporting a light blue zip-up hoodie over the traditional camp counselor uniform was a man with tan colored skin and black curly hair. Straight black coffee in hand, Max stood awaiting the bus full of campers to arrive for the summer. The chilly morning wind sent an occasional shiver to flutter up and down his spine. The sun hung lowly in the sky -sending warm and welcoming rays down below. However, the morning breeze blew cold and unforgivingly through the almost empty campgrounds. Though the morning had barely begun, Max was already craving the sweet release of death. Well, more than usual, anyway. Honestly, the last few months have been long and grainy, taking a large toll on Max, leaving him colder and more apathetic than any morning wind ever could.

 

Today was the day the campers would arrive to Camp Campbell, as such, it would be Neil and his job to stand outside and greet the campers, as well as direct them inside towards the mess hall as Nikki prepared inside. 

There was really nothing to look forward to. Oh yay, a bus full of screaming children being dumped on their hands for the entire summer. Oh, how exciting. Not. Under his breath, Max cursed this entire god-forsaken camp. Every year he shows up to work with the little shits. Yet, it's always the same headaches everyday. There's just no end. 

Next to Max stood his friend-and fellow camp councilors -Neil. Now, Neil was always a pretty decent guy. He had graduated highschool with good grades. Not to mention he took shit from no one. However, Max knew he was an asshole.  
'Not to mention a condescending prick.'  
This was the glue to their friendship. Ever since the two boys met in middle school, they've been close due to their shared cynical outlooks and snappy comebacks. 

Neil was actually quite tall -even taller than Max- yet, at first sight it was difficult to tell. Especially with his weak posture, causing the brunette to constantly slouch. Upon closer inspection, Max concluded that his friend always appeared to be nervous.

'Well, I suppose he does have anxiety. That much I remember him telling me.'

 

Despite his attitude, language, rude hand gestures, disrespect, and undying sarcasm, Neil was not a bad guy at all. After all, he was tech savvy, smart, and logical. Those were all things Max gave him kudos for. Neil was also very pale - as he spent most of his time indoors. 

Well, not exactly pale, but WHITE. Like ghost white. Jesus, did he ever leave whatever vampire coffin he must live in? Fucking Christ almighty.

However, this was understandable seeing as Neil accidentally got roped into the whole summer camp fiasco, as well as spending his morning waiting too goddamn early for a bus full of rambunctious children. Truth be told, Neil was not looking too thrilled. Understandable. Especially since neither of the two counselors were in a good mood. There was nothing truly pleasant about standing in the middle of nowhere at eight in the morning next to a VERY cranky Max. So the glares and grumbles the raven haired man was getting were perfectly justified.

Not that Neil necessarily hated his job. In fact, he despised it. Yet, it was an okay gig for now. Having recently getting accepted into college to -hopefully-become a scientist, Neil needed some funds to get through. Originally, the plan was to apply for a science summer camp. But, something messed up and Neil got sent to this hell hole instead. Not that he really complained. After all, if he bullshitted his way into this mess, he could bullshit his way out. Simple as that. 

"I don't see why WE have to be the unlucky idiots who stand in the cold waiting for these little shits." Max grumbled loudly toward Neil in an attempt to break the silence, his grip tightening on the halfway empty mug of coffee. "I mean, what's the point? Nikki could have done it." He added with a snarl. Glancing up, Neil took note of Max's scowl as well as his constant shivering. Shaking his head Neil sighed, "Please don't tell me you're cold. It's summer, dude. We have to get up this early like every goddamn day." after a small pause, Neil added for good measure, "Besides, Nikki has to get everything ready. Feel free to go help her if you want. I'll deal with the little monsters and you can go and help her wrestle the wasp nest or God knows what out of the mess hall." This earned a particularly nasty glare from the other. "As if you're really THAT excited about this." Max mumbled, sending a nasty look to his coffee.

Suddenly, a large yellow bus stopped in front of the two cranky counselors. Rickety yellow doors creaked open to reveal a disgruntled looking Quarter Master sitting in the driver's seat. "Kids are here." He spoke gruffly and slightly muffled by his beard. No sooner than he concluded his sentence, a swarm of loud screaming children tore out in a wave out of the bus. The sudden tsunami of children startled both Max and Neil. "To the mess hall!" Yelled Neil loudly, waving his lanky arms over his head clumsily to get the children's attention. "You heard the man!" Screamed Max loudly. Right after the two finished screaming, the mess hall doors swung open dangerously quick, and standing right behind them, hands on her hips, stood Nikki. She then cupped her hands as a makeshift megaphone and screamed "IN HERE YOU LITTLE SHITS!!" And without being told twice, everyone ran inside. As the kids were filing inside, Max and Neil glanced at each other, a look of relieve on both their faces. 

"Christ." Neil said slightly breathlessly. 

"Welcome to hell." Smirked Max, taking another scalding gulp of his coffee.

Chaos finally dying down, three more kids hopped off the bus, supposedly deeming it safe to leave and definitely going a slower pace just to be cautious.

The first kid to get off the bus had dark red hair in a bob cut tied up into a ponytail. She had a small purple backpack and had her hands shoved deep in her pockets. An undying look of exasperation was plastered on her face as she hopped off the bus. 

The second kid had auburn hair, as well as, freckles scattered all over his face and arms. He wore a tiny scowl and was in the middle of ranting about God knows what. He was gesturing dramatically with his arms. This made it kind of tough for him to keep balance with his brown, worn bag hanging on one of his shoulders, no doubt to look 'cool'. 

Then last, but not least, came another boy with light brown hair, blue eyes, and a wide, happy smile. Light freckles dusted his cheeks and nose. He hugged his neon green and electric blue bag tightly in his arms and appeared to be talking to both the other children. 

"Of course Jasper's excited about coming to this hellhole. Ohhhh, look at me, I'm Jasper and I'm a great kid and a tree hugger and everyone just ADORES me." Davey shouted in a sarcastic-mocking tone, dramatically throwing his arms around and glaring daggers at his peer. Jasper nervously fiddled with a stray thread on his bag. "Ha ha, that's pretty rad, Davey...But, what can I say? I guess I just feel at home here." He chuckles nervously, looking down at his feet.  
"Can you both shut up?" Huffed Gwen, kicking some dirt with her foot in an annoyed manner. A couple pebbles skittered across the ground in different directions.

Looking up from his bag fiddling, Jasper locked eyes with Max. "Oh! Guys! Look it's the camp leaders!" Running up toward Max and Neil. Enthusiastically throwing his hands up to show his counselors his -very much practiced- Campe Diem salute, "Hi! I'm Jasper and that's Gwen and that's Davey!" He pointed out both of his friends excitedly. Both Gwen and Davey exchanged a disgruntled look and trudged over to join the conversation.

Both counselors did the salute back with varying levels of enthusiasm. "I see! Well, Jasper, Gwen, and Davey...Why don't you go to the mess hall? That's where the orientation is being held." Spoke Max, monotonously as if he was a robot reading off a piece of paper, earning an elbow to the ribs from Neil. "Yeah, tubular idea! Let's go guys!" Jasper said excitedly, smiling at both Davey and Gwen, earning a glare from each back. Sighing exhaustedly Davey glared toward his chipper peer "Jasper, your positivity kills me. Absolutely kills me." He mumbled. However, there was no attempt to actually leave his friend behind. "I was going to ditch," Gwen stated bluntly, "After all, it's just the dumb meeting and I've already been here last year so..." turning around to walk away, she was stopped. Neil had grabbed the back of her shirt. 

"Fuck no you aren't. It's my job to make sure you go to that stupid orientation and if I don't do my job I don't get a paycheck and if I don't get my paycheck then I don't go to college and if I don't go to college I'm not going to get my degree in science and if I don't get my degree in science I will become a hobo. I'm not fucking becoming a hobo. Not today satan." He rambled causing blank stares from the kids, as well as Max. 

"Uh, right. Yeah...go to the orientation before nutso over here becomes homeless." Max stated blankly. "We're heading there anyway. Just come with us I guess." Taking another gulp of coffee, Max began to walk toward the Mess Hall with Neil by his side and the kids following behind. Jasper was practically glowing, Davey was glaring at Jasper, and Gwen was grumbling under her breath about Neil. It didn't take very long to get inside. By the time everyone walked in, the orientation had begun already. The trio sat at an empty table and Max and Neil walked up toward Nikki.

"So that's how you skin a deer with a stick, duct tape, and a pine cone!" Nikki shouted excitedly, waving a stick around absentmindedly. However, that just earned nothing but blank stares. After an awkward moment, she coughed. "Ahem. Anyway! Well, since our other slow poke councilors have shown up! We are going to do a quick orientation! This is just rules and junk. But who needs them? Well! Rules are there for a reason!" Nikki yelled, pacing slightly and randomly pointing her stick at people for dramatic effect. Suddenly, another silence. "By show of hands, who here knows why we have rules?! Go!" Quite a few hands flew up into the air. Smiling widely, Nikki chose a kid in the back with blonde hair who was holding a couple decks of cards. "To keep us safe?" The kid called back in a nasally voice. 

This earned a disappointed head shake. Nikki then continued pacing in front of Max and Neil before stopping abruptly. "Nope! Rules are there to be broken!" She yelled, holding her fist out into the air. This brought forth applause, laughter, and cheers. However, this short burst of excitement was rudely interrupted. "Um, no. No it's not." Max yelled loudly, causing the entire hall to go silence. "Rules are there to keep you little shits from breaking your necks and getting hurt." He shouted, this too got an applause, mostly due to the scandalous swear word. Yet, no one but Neil had heard Max mutter "I'm not getting sued because one of you goddamn kids think of trying to play frisbee with a turtle again."


	2. Bears, Tents, and Sticks! Oh My!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Davey is worried, Jasper just wants to read his comic book, and Nikki hates life. Jasper's positive attitude and fun lingo is something Davey can't "bear".

Lying on his back, Davey stared at the ceiling of his tent from his cot. Though it was nearing ten at night, his bag lay forgotten on the ground. Sitting on his cot, Jasper had been reading a comic book. Davey knew that Jasper had been awful quiet since the orientation from earlier, but, he wasn't in the mood to go poking around his business tonight. No matter how much he worried. At least, if he did worry. Davey never cared about anything, especially Jasper.

After all, Jasper was just annoying and nice and funny. Sure they had been friends for a while, but there's only so much Davey could take of the bright colors and dorky lingo. 'Oh tubular this. Radical that. Wow Davey, that was all that and a bag of chips.' What did all of this even mean?? Rolling onto his side to face Jasper's cot, Davey concluded that Jasper must be secretly an alien or something.

"Jasper?"

 

"What is it, Davey?"

Eyes focused down at the book in his hands, Jasper wasn't planning on looking away. Especially at this part where spider man has to find out where-

"Jasper..."

Sighing exasperatedly, Jasper shot a glance toward his friend. "Yo, Davey. Whatcha need?" He really wanted to get to the next part of his book. But, alas Spiderman could wait. Besides, Davey was probably his best summer camp friend. Of course Gwen was there, as well as the camp councilors, but, he had always preferred to hang out with Davey. It was probably just a bro thing or something. Things were always that way. 

Once the red head knew he had Jasper's full undivided attention, he continued speaking. "Are you okay? You've been quiet lately. You aren't gonna shoot up the camp or something, right?" Davey squinted at Jasper with mock suspicion before adding "At least if you are, tell me when so I know when to have a sick day." This earned a soft laugh, but that was about it.

"I'm fine, Davey. I guess I'm just trying to adjust to the camp life again. It's kinda tough beans trying to chill in new places. So, I guess my mood has been pretty ziggy lately." Explained Jasper with a small shrug. It wasn't a lie. Sure, there were other things bothering him but they were personal and he wasn't gonna reveal all that unless push came to shove.

"Yeah, I gotcha. Is that why you insist on keeping the stupid tent door open? A bear or something may come through." Grumped the little red head, sitting up and crossing his arms in annoyance. Shuddering slightly, Jasper looked cautiously towards the tent door. "God, you don't actually think a bear would just strut in, right? Wouldn't the councilors do something?" The tent flap was open, yet the screen was still up to keep bugs out. But, a bear could easily rip through that couldn't it...

"Not unless they got eaten or something." Yawned Davey, standing up from his cot. "Tell you what, tree hugger. I'm gonna go change into something more comfortable before I pass out. It's pretty late after all. So, I'll just leave you here alone. I'm definitely sure no bears would even think about coming into the tent while I'm gone." He rambled, collecting random articles of clothing from his messy bag. Quickly leaving the tent before Jasper could say a word as he sat frozen on his cot.

Ever since Jasper could remember, he had no fear. He was always the bravest camper and would even lead adventures! Except, when it came to bears or heights. For some reason, he had always felt a twinge of fear at even the thought of either of those things. There really wasn't a reason though. His mom told him it was called "phobias". Which meant they were irrational fears. The key word was irrational. That means not likely to happen. 

Nervously getting off the cheap makeshift bed, he too decided to change into his pajamas. All Jasper really had to do was throw on a pair of shorts. Once he finished he nervously casted a small glance towards the door of the tent. The night was clear and the stars were out. The moon was even a quarter moon. Before long, his fear melted into admiration for the night. 

That's why he loved Camp Campbell. 

There was no stress and no fear. Not to mention, barely any pollution. The adults were almost always nice and would help you out. Besides, nature was beautiful. The sound of birds in the mornings or the smell of rain was enough to elate Jasper's heart. 

Smiling softly, Jasper took a deep breath to relax, when suddenly a loud noise made him jump a foot in the air. 

"AUAGHH!!" 

The tent walls were suddenly being hit and kicked as a shadow screamed loudly. Heart dropping into his stomach, the first thing that came to Jasper's mind was the Bears Davey was talking about. Panicking, Jasper grabbed a decent sized stick off the ground and used all his strength to hit at the shadow on the other side of the tent. 

WHACK

"moTHER FUCKER." 

"Oh." It was Davey. Whoops.

* * *

Sporting a bloody nose, Davey sat angrily on his cot next to Jasper as Nikki stood in front of them both. Green hair a mess, dark bags under her eyes, and her hands on her hips. She was pissed.

"It's like 10 at night and the entire camp is trying to get their sleep on. So you," Nikki points at Davey coldly "You were pounding on the tent to scare your tent mate before getting hit in the face." Shifting her gaze, Nikki then pointed at Jasper "And you! Hitting your tent mate in the face with a stick! Even if you thought that was a bear, you can't do that! Not unless you were attempting to assert dominance or whatever but let me tell you. It's too late for that, buddy. Me, Neil, and Max run this bitch. So the Bears would have to take it up with ME. Goodnight." She half shouted half grumbled the last part as she stomped out of the tent. 

As Nikki made her way back to her cabin, Davey and Jasper watched her walk back before turning to face each other. "I run this bitch." Jasper whispered in a mock voice causing Davey to snort as he laughed. 

 

Maybe Jasper wasn't an alien. Maybe he was actually cool sometimes. After all, that was a damn good hit.


	3. Mashed Potatoes and Dissapointment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the kudos and comments! They've been really making me smile and I'm excited to write more!  
> ~~~~~~~~~  
> Sorry for the short chapter! The next few are going to be intense though B)

The next morning, Gwen, Jasper, and Davey sat in the crowded mess hall. Loud talking and excited yelling filled the room. However, this was not the case with Gwen and Davey. Yet, Jasper couldn't stop rambling about how exciting the activities for that day would be, though he was getting dirty looks from both his friends.

Gwen yawned as she tapped her plastic fork against her lunch tray. "I don't see the point in all of it. Why don't the counselors just let us do our own thing?" She muttered. Nodding in agreement Davey, ceased squishing the Quarter Master's self acclaimed 'speciality' mashed potatoes to mush for just a moment. 

"You're right, Gwen. It's dumb and pointless," Davey lifted up his potato covered fork and pointed it at her for emphasis. "It's still the first day though. So we shouldn't be doing much. That I'm confident about." Once the red head finished, he continued his mashed potato mashing.

Glancing up from his friends to the counselors, Jasper laughed softly before pointing toward the adults. "I wouldn't be so sure, home skillets. Check it out."  
Following his finger, Davey and Gwen also watched the councilors. No sooner had they looked up, Neil, Max, and Nikki were standing in front of the mess hall. 

"Hey! Hey! Guys c'mon!" Neil was shouting. But, to no avail, only a couple of kids looked up. Exchanging disgruntled looks, Max took a step forward. 

"HEYYYY! LISTEN UP!" He roared. This caused a silence. All the campers now had their eyes on him. "Today we are doing a craft activity! We are gonna-Ow! Jesus Nikki, what?!" Max rubbed his arm where Nikki had punched him hard. Both councilors turned away from the audience while they began whisper-shouting their argument as she was waving a piece of paper in Max's face, "Oh, for fucks sake." He growled. 

Nikki then took a step forward. "Actually! Today we are -according to Camp Campbell's contract- going on a hike! This is to show you little guys the dangerous and intense forest for later activities through out the summer! Yay!!" A few campers weakly cheered as well, but not very many. "So! We are going to split up. All three tables on the right side goes with Neil, the three in the middle go with me, and the three over here," Nikki pointed towards the trio's table with much gusto, "Will be going with Max! Oooooh, good luck." 

Beaming, Jasper looked around to see his friends reactions. Gwen shrugged and only muttered, "Better than stupid Bill Nye wannabe taking us...Dick." she squinted angrily at the ground. However, Davey threw his arms up in the air, "Oh for fucks sake!" he shouted. This prompted Jasper to sigh.

'This was going to be interesting.'


	4. Clementine and Jennifer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max hates his job, Davey is still causing trouble, Gwen plays matchmaker, and Jasper makes a few more friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotten sick :( but you know what that means! More updating until I get better! I added a couple minor characters in this chapter that you may or may not recognize! Enjoy!~

The campers had been walking for about an hour now into the forest with Max. It wasn't really too bad. The trees were green and healthy, the animals were fairly friendly, and the bugs definitely haven't been much of a nuisance at all. Taking a deep breath, Jasper enjoyed the purity of nature. On either side of him hiked Gwen and Davey. The trio had fallen behind most of the group, but that wasn't much of an issue. Besides, this way none of them would get in trouble for swearing or something dumb like that. It was also more relaxing this way.

Stick in hand, Gwen was dragging it through the dirt, creating long zig-zag lines out of boredom. Sure, it was fun sometimes. But, having been on quite a few hikes last year, the charm was gone. So, instead of 'admiring the charm of nature' she took her time to daydream and let her mind wander. Drawing in the dirt was pretty fun, even if she wasn't creating anything. It was nice to just let go and do what she wanted. Not to mention, the boys were being quiet so Gwen didn't have to worry about being roped in a pointless adventure with them.

Trudging next to his friends, Davey would occasionally groan loudly and VERY dramatically. It was so stupid. Nothing was fun about dirt and trees. But neither of his friends were saying a word. That just made everything even more boring. Heck, he'd even deal with Gwen rambling about whatever fictional boyfriend she had at the time or even Jasper's weird 80's slang. Anything really. Maybe even Max's complaining and swear words. Actually, that would be fun.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to Davey. A smile slowly spread across his face. Standing up slightly taller, he could see Max leading the hike. The same cynical look on his face. Yep, the councilor was dead inside. Pausing from his walking, the red head crouched down and grabbed a handful of pebbles and pine cones from the forest dirt floor. 

As soon as Davey stopped walking, both Gwen and Jasper stopped as well, casting him equally confused looks. "What'cha doin, home dog?" Jasper asked nervously, a sense of dread pooling in his stomach. Eyebrows furrowing toward Davey, Gwen knew someone idiotic was probably going to happen. "Yeah Davey, You aren't gonna do something stupid, are you?" Gwen asked uncertainly. This prompted a devious smile from Davey, who then dumped the nature pile into his pocket as he stood back up and continued walking. "Nope. Don't worry. Just enjoying nature."

Exchanging a confused look, Jasper and Gwen shrugged and kept walking with Davey. After what felt like a good ten minutes, Davey grabbed a pine cone from his pocket and chucked it at the back of Max's head. 

As soon as it hit him, Max twirled around in less than 20 seconds. "Seriously? Knock it off!" He shouted. When no one said anything, he sighed and continued leading the troop. Again, after ten minutes Davey through a pebble at Max. Stopping once more, fists clenched, Max growled. "For the love of-fine okay. Since SOMEONE here is having issues NOT THROWING SHIT I guess we have to extend the hike! That's right you little shits. We're going to go on a longer hike now!" Huffing, he kept walking.

Gwen smacked the back of Davey's head. "Thanks a lot! Geez, now we have to walk more." She snapped. Grumbling softly, Davey rubbed the back of his head before looking at Jasper, almost as if waiting for him to say something. However, his friend just kind of shrugged in indifference. "Don't look at me, Mcfly. I like hiking, so I don't mind either way. I think it's fun." Shaking his head slightly, Jasper walked a little faster to join the group of campers. Davey and Gwen just stood there.

 

"What the heck? Why'd he just leave us?" Scowled Davey, sending a nasty glare toward Gwen. "Don't look at me like that," she snapped, "He's probably annoyed cause you made the councilor mad. Remember, Jasper's a good kid." She shrugged. The two of them continued walking behind the group. Glaring at the campers in front of them, Davey watched Jasper laughing with a few kids about God knows what. What a dick.

A few awkward moments went by until Gwen spoke up. "Why don't you just talk to him? Instead of glaring at the back of his head, I mean. He's probably not mad. Just talk to him." Putting her hands in her pockets, Gwen shrugged. However, Davey just glared back at her. "What makes you think I care. He can do whatever he wants. I don't give a damn about what he thinks." As the two walked, Davey stomped on sticks and a few rocks.

"We're taking a break! Don't leave the clearing!" Max yelled as they got to a small pond. Quite a few of the campers sat down by the water and a few others ran around to play on the trees and rocks. Gwen and Davey walked over toward Jasper's group before cautiously sitting down.

"Oh, hey there French fries! What's up?" Jasper smiled and moved over to sit with Gwen and Davey. There were two other kids sitting with them. "This is Clementine!" Jasper excitedly pointed to a girl with short, fiery, red hair, rosy cheeks, and a shy smile on her face. Next he pointed towards a girl with platinum blonde hair tied into a ponytail with a pink scrunchie, and her nails painted purple. "And this is Jennifer! I guess they're both new to Camp Campbell! Neat right?" Beaming, Jasper continued talking, "Clementine, Jennifer! This is Davey and Gwen! They're my best friends. You'll love them!" 

Both Davey and Gwen sat there silently for a moment until Davey broke the silence. "What the FUCK, Jasper?" Crossing his arms, Davey gave his friend a dirty look. However, Jasper looked confused. "What? They're new! You know how frazzling it is coming to a new place!"

Clementine smiled softly at Jasper as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's really okay, y'know! I'm sure we all will become friends!" She spoke with a soft southern accent. Jen had been watching Gwen silently with a small smile. "Whatever," Davey groaned in annoyance, "Jasper, we were going to go explore. Are you coming?" Arms crossed defensively and his eyebrows furrowed, Davey was definitely not amused. Pretending not to notice the change in his best friend's attitude Jasper glanced toward his new friends and nodded. "Yeah, I'll come! You guys gonna chill here?" He asked. Clementine as if waiting for permission from her friend she looked toward Jen and nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna stay here with Jen. You guy go have fun though!" She smiled softly. "Ugh, you guys go play in the dirt." Jen snarked, clearly not caring about her manners as much as Clementine. "We have better things to do than go mess around in the mud." 

Fists clenching slightly, Davey sat up rather brashly "We will. Don't you worry. We're gonna get aaaaall muddy and then we're gonna be back. So you better watch out." Gwen and Jasper got up as well, exchanging confused glances. Nonetheless, they both walked to either side of David before taking their leave. As the trio walked away, Jasper glanced back towards the girls and waved politely in hopes of apologizing for Davey. Once they were out of earshot Davey pushed Jasper softly, "We thought we made you mad or something." The red head muttered. This prompted Jasper to laugh softly. "Of course not, home slice. You guys are my friends. I just saw those two walking alone and wanted to make sure they had company." Smile slowly fading, Jasper pushed Davey back harder, "Why were you so harsh to them? Clementine and Jen weren't trying to cheese on you, yknow? You just kinda lashed out on them." Blowing a raspberry in response, Davey hoped it would distract Jasper from his reddening face. "They were annoying. I didn't like how they talked to us." That was the only excuse Davey could even think of, he didn't really understand his attitude either. But, no way would he admit that. 

Smugly, Gwen nudged Davey's shoulder. "Yeah, Davey was really flipping out." She smirked. Davey whipped around angrily, the red in his cheeks blossoming even more vividly. "Was NOT!" He shouted maybe a little too loud. Pausing quickly, Davey glanced at Jasper, "I didn't care at all." He mumbled quietly, willing the color to leave his cheeks.

Confusion evident on his face, Jasper took a moment to try and figure out what was happening. Furrowing his eyebrows at his best friends something inside told him to just give up and accept his friends were having killer crazy mood swings.

Nonetheless, Jasper was kind of happy that Davey cared even a little.


	5. Jasper Gives Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having more friends is a good thing right? Then why can't they get along? Why can't Davey and Clementine start getting along? Why is Gwen talking about dead things? Jasper just gives up.

The rest of the hike went pretty smoothly. Occasionally Davey would get in trouble for throwing rocks or making a nasty comment or something stupid like that, but nothing too bad. Watching his best friend run up ahead of the group to grab a stick, Jasper turned toward Gwen. "What's his dealio? Davey's been being weird all day." Quirking an eyebrow, he had hoped Gwen had the answers. She was smart with these kinds of things. Jasper had always thought she could get a psychology degree or something when she was older, she really seemed to know how people worked. However, this only earned nothing but a shrug. 

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Jasper turned to see Clementine. "Maybe he's just orny or somethin'. Should we just leave him alone? You can hang out with me! And Jen. It'll be fun, Gwen could come too." Jasper didn't reply. Yeah, maybe Clem was right. She sounded like she knew what she was talking about. But, wouldn't talking to his friends cheer Davey up? He loved talking. Besides, he couldn't just ditch his best friend. Davey had been his friend since almost a year after they both began spending their summers at Camp Campbell. Given the fact the two hated each other in their first year, their relationship improved quite a bit. At least, not counting this year.

Even more important, what did ornry even mean? Wow, her lingo wasn't as rad as his. But they could work on that.

* * *

"Max...Max!" 

A staticky voice came from the man's belt. Grabbing the walkie talkie, Max spoke into the box. 

"Yeah, Neil? What do you need?" 

"All the other troops are back at camp. What the hell is taking you so long?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Max sighed. "We had to take a different way. A camper had an attitude so we're taking the long way back. Give us like, 15 minutes." 

"Oh okay, well hurry up, asshat. Nikki and I need help setting up a few more activities and I don't want to suffer alone."

Clipping the small box to his belt, Max turned around to face the group. "Okay guys, we'll be back to camp in a few minutes. We gotta hurry though," Throwing a glare toward Davey, Max added "That means no fucking around until we get back." 

Giving a small sigh of relief, Jasper smiled. 

"Hey, was that a sigh of relief I heard?" Gwen smirked at her friend before adding, "What happened to 'I don't care either way, I think it's fun'?~ You were totally lying!" 

Cheeks turning red, Jasper looked at the ground before mumbling, "I was NOT lying I didn't care then...I'm just bored now."

But it was too late, already at Jasper's side stood his slightly obnoxious best friend. "No Gwen, You got the voice wrong. It's more like," Raising his voice to a slightly higher pitch, "'I don't care either way, I think it's fun!~'" Both Gwen and Davey laughed, causing nothing more than an eye roll from Jasper. 

"My voice isn't that high pitched. It's deeper than yours, Davey." Jasper shrugged nonchalantly I'm an attempt to pretend that he wasn't offended. Though in all reality he was.

Clementine beamed at Jasper, a slight blush on her face, "Good one. You showed him." She giggled slightly obnoxiously, moving closer to Jasper. 

Furrowing his eyebrows, Jasper cast a glance toward his friends in an attempt to get a grip on what was happening. Okay, Clementine and Davey were both being weird now. Gwen looked pretty amused, so she wouldn't be much help. Jen barely spoke to any of them. In fact, he almost forgot she was there. Glancing towards Davey, he was met with a glare. 

"Uh, thanks Clem!" Jasper awkwardly answered as he took a tiny step back. 

"Yeah, good one." Scowled Davey. "Jesus, You I thought Jasper's voice was high but that really took the cake."

"Hey!" Jasper shouted in annoyance. "I told you! Obviously my voice is deeper! You're really just ragging on yourself!"

In an attempt to prove his point Jasper shot a glance toward Davey to give him a peice of his mind when he concluded he wasn't being glared at at all! Clementine was. Ugh, of course Davey would be mean to the new girls. Concluding that Davey just hated making new friends, Jasper looked at Gwen for help.  


Getting the message, Gwen nudged Davey. "What's that look for? You look like someone killed your dog in front of you or something."

Instantly face palming, Jasper gave up. 

Suddenly, God smiled down upon him as everyone walked back into camp. This was the perfect time to ditch and head back to his tent. It had been a long morning and honestly, Jasper decided he was tired of everyone glaring at him. It made him feel as if he had been doing something wrong all day.

"Well, I'll catch you guys later. I gotta ditch." Was all he muttered before quickly heading back to his tent. 

Looks like he was right. It really was an interesting hike.


	6. Finally the Counselor Get Their Own Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikki, Neil, and Max both reminisce about the past and it's probably a little sad.

Sitting in the councilor's cabin, Max stared blankly out the window. The sun was setting and the day was fading into night. Yet, he was completely zoned out, focused on only his thoughts.

Sitting next to Max on the worn couch, Neil was flipping through the TV channels in hopes of finding something -anything- that didn't include 1.) Nature 2.) Trash TV 3.) Cooking. This was proving difficult, however. "Man, why do we only have shit channels. Couldn't we have gotten a better plan?" Neil shouted in annoyance. 

"Well, not many companies are willing to install TV programs in the middle of nowhere." Leaning against the doorframe, Nikki held a half full can of soda. She had been watching Neil flip through the channels with equal disinterest. "Besides," she added, taking a sip, "We don't have that much free time. So by the time we get back to the cabin, all the good shows are over."  
Rolling his eyes, Neil didn't say anything. Instead he continued flipping through the channels. 

Quirking an eyebrow, Nikki looked over toward Max. "Hey Max, what's got you looking so down? Was the hike that bad today?" Groaning, Max leaned back and yawned. "Not really, it was okay. I was just thinking about a few of the kids. David, Gwen, and Jasper...remember them?" Humming slightly, Nikki walked over toward the couch and sat on the arm next to Max. "What about them? Trouble makers?" Neil ceased his channel surfing for a second to follow the conversation. "No, they remind me...never mind. It's dumb." Turning away from his friend, Max glanced at the TV.

"No way, you gotta tell us now." Punching Max's arm, Nikki smiled wide in anticipation. "Yeah, dude. Don't leave us hanging." Neil furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. 

"Well, they're kind of like us when we were kids."

A hush fell over the room for a solid minute. Until Nikki broke the silence. "That's true. Woah..." Turning her gaze from Max, she looked at the floor. "That's like...really nostalgic."

"Remember when we caught that garbage can on fire?" Neil spoke up. Both Nikki and Max quickly turned to face him, causing Neil to shrink back slightly. "Or that time we duct taped Max to a chair?" Nikki chimed in with excitement. "H-Hey!" Max grumbled, "That wasn't fun for me!" But, the three laughed nonetheless.

Max scooted closer towards Neil, making room for Nikki to sit with them. "What about when we all went to Neil's house to play his game boy even though his Dad was nuts?" Max smirked, earning a soft punch on the arm.  
"In all serious, we were monsters though," Nikki laughed, "We still are, I guess." She mumbled. Nodding in agreement, both boys laughed. "I mean, I see why they could remind you of us though."

Max's smile faltered slightly. "But, I was so...I was a little bitch. I hated everything-"  
"Still do."  
"Shut up, Neil. Anyway, I was in a bad place at the time. What if that's why David is so...I don't know...I could be overthinking..."

Leaning against Max, Nikki smiled softly.  
"Max, how many times do me and Neil have to tell you this. Those are what-ifs. What if I die tomorrow? What if Neil doesn't get into college? What if aliens invade the earth? What if those three bitches who lead the flower scouts pays us a visit? Those are all things that might happen. But, it's not guaranteed. If Davey is having any issues, we will keep an eye on him." 

"Hey, what about this?" Neil pointed toward the TV with the remote in hand. Playing on the screen was Friends. "We used to watch this show all the time. Let's just chill out and not think about being adults for the night."

Max would never admit it, but he had the best friends in the world. That's part of why working at Camp Campbell wasn't all bad.


	7. Do It For The Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen just wants to read about her true (fictional) love. But, first she needs to find out why the internet isn't working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a Gwen and (Jen) chapter!~
> 
> Literally the chapter where Gwen is all of us

The sun beating down on the material walls heated the tent obnoxiously. Blankets kicked onto the floor, Gwen sprawled out on her cot, cell phone in hand. It was Saturday morning and there was no way in hell she was going to waste it being productive. The day was meant to be spent avoiding people, reading fan fiction, and watching trash TV. Her tent buddy, Jen was sitting on her cot with a small mirror in front of her. To the side was a shoebox full of various make up products. 

The two hardly spoke, to be honest, Gwen was slightly unnerved by her tent buddy. For some reason she looked very familiar. But, Gwen just couldn't figure out how. Watching her put on make up kind of made Gwen feel sluggish and extra lazy.  
She was still in her comfies. A pair of shorts and an old T shirt. In fact, Gwen's hair wasn't even brushed. It just fell into a mess around her shoulders. 

In contrast, Jen's platinum blonde hair was tied perfectly back with a pink scrunchie. Not a hair was out of place. She was also applying make up. Watching in awe, Gwen felt slightly relaxed by the other's presence. It was kind of nice watching her apply make up. Right now Jen was working on lip gloss. 

'She really is pretty' thinking to herself, Gwen sat up on her elbows. 'But she doesn't need all that. Jen is naturally beautiful.' Feeling slightly down, Gwen knew there was no way she could ever be that pretty. It made her sad, but there was always fanfiction to cheer her up. 

Phone in hand, Gwen excitedly typed in the name of a well known fanfiction site. Grinning in anticipation, she discovered a very interesting one. An alternate universe of a favorite British show. The main character was so cute. He had to travel time and space to save people. A small blush dusted her cheeks as Gwen thought of him. If only he was real.

However, once Gwen clicked the link, her screen went white and was replaced with a "server not found" message. Heart dropping into her stomach, her eyes shot toward the corner of the screen. There wasn't any wifi! Not to mention service either!  
Shouting in annoyance, Gwen sat up angrily, throwing her phone onto the cot. All of her weekend plans have been destroyed. Now what the fuck was she supposed to do? What do most 14 year olds do on their days off? 

As soon as Gwen moved suddenly, Jen dropped her lip gloss in shock.  
"Woah, are you alright Hun? Bad dream?" Voiced Jen cautiously. Gwen didn't answer, instead she clumsily threw on her black, low cut, converse. Standing up, she pocketed her phone.  
"I'll be back," she hissed. Hand on the tent door, Gwen paused. "Jen, you don't need all that make up. You already look okay."  
Staring blankly, Jen watched Gwen hastily leave. 

As soon as her friend was gone, Jen looked at her discarded lipgloss before gathering it and her shoe box to put away under her cot.

\-----

 

Stomping angrily through the camp grounds, Gwen felt a slight twinge of satisfaction as small dirt clouds puffed up with each partially angry stomp.  
There had to be a booster or something. There was no way the camp had no wifi. The councilors weren't monsters...right?  
If Gwen just kept walking, she'd stumble upon the counselors' cabin and get some answers. She was an unstoppable force.

Suddenly stopping, She turned to see Davey and Jasper crouched on the ground. Deciding her mission could wait a few minutes, Gwen curiously made her way over to her friends. 

"What are you doing?" Kneeling down next to Jasper and Davey, she made her way into the conversation. Smiling widely, Davey held out a stick. On the end was a snake skin. "Check it out! Jasper and I found it on the ground!" Staring at the skin in awe, Gwen moved slightly closer. "That's so cool!" She whispered.  
Suddenly, Jasper screamed loudly and dramatically. 

"AUGHAUHHH!"

Both Davey and Gwen fell back. Gwen was much more graceful than Davey at least, she noted. Seeing as Davey screamed as he fell, unlike her.  
Laughing his head off, all trace of Jasper's fear was gone. "You should have seen the looks on your faces!" He snorted as he laughed before stopping briefly in horror.  
But it was too late, Gwen and Davey were back up and ready for revenge.  
"Jasper snorts!" Davey yelled loudly, a look of amusement on his face before earning a soft punch in the shoulder from his best friend.  
"What was that, Jasper?" Gwen snickered as she stood up, suddenly remembering her business.  
Her friends were complete losers. That's why they were great.

But Gwen would never admit that. Ever.

 

Fists clenched to her sides, the red head continued her quest to find some wifi. Leaving her friends behind, Gwen concluded that after she finds out how to get her phone working again, she would hang out with them a bit longer.  
Or not. Maybe Jasper and Davey liked hanging out alone. It was complicated. Gwen couldn't tell what their deal was and honestly didn't think she wanted to know.  
The two usually got on okay, but lately Davey's been extra snappy toward Jasper. Likewise, this has been pushing the two apart from each other. But wasn't that the opposite of what was supposed to happen? Or maybe they're just boys going through puberty or whatever.  
Shuddering in disgust, Gwen noticed the councilor cabin up ahead and was thankful she could focus on something other than her friends' possible awkward changes.

Banging her fists unforgivingly against the oak door, Gwen stood up tall. She was going to spend the day reading her online stories if it killed her. Even though this whole misadventure was killing her inside.  
Door creaking open, Neil stood in the doorway looking disheveled.  
Brunette curls all over the place, messy pajamas, and bags under his eyes. 

'The loser hasn't even gotten out of bed.' 

Scowling, Neil looked down at Gwen. "What do you want?" He murmured in an attempt to wake up. "It's like nine-thirty."  
Crossing her arms in annoyance, Gwen glared up at the counselor. Of course it was this Dick who opens the door. Whatever, she had a mission.

"I need your wifi."

"...What?"

"Give me some of your wifi."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Neil sighed in annoyance. However, Gwen was not going to give up. Her British doctor au was awaiting her on the wonderful World Wide Web.  
Do it for the doctor.  
Leaning against the doorframe, Neil continued. "Why do you need Internet?"  
Face flushing red, the younger stomped her foot in anger.

"Because I need it! I need Internet to read just like you need it to jack off to Bill Nye!" She shouted in annoyance. God this guy was annoying. Why couldn't one of the cool counselors open the door? Not this shit stain.

Giving up, Neil sighed in exasperation. "First, I don't jack off to Bill Nye. Second, I'm waiting for the science word."

"The science word?"

"Because magic isn't real." 

Growling in anger, Gwen kicked at a small rock. Of course there was a catch. Science fucker wouldn't just give her wifi. That's too easy. Scowling at the ground, Gwen mumbled quietly.

"Please can you turn on the wifi."

It wasn't so much a question, but a direct statement. However Neil was perfectly content with this answer.  
"Sure thing kiddo," Flipping a switch near the door, Neil smiled down at Gwen. "Boosters on now. Knock yourself out."  
And with that the councilor closed the door quickly.

Adrenaline pumping, Gwen took off in an excited dash through the camp, passed Jasper and Davey (who continued searching for anything deemed cool) and almost did a summersault through the tent flap. Jumping on the cheap cot, in one fair swoop Gwen perfectly cocooned herself in her blanket away from the world.  
Pulling her phone out, the first thing she clicked was the link to her fanfiction. A moment of anticipation passed as Gwen watched the screen load. In less than thirty seconds the blank screen was filled with words.

Today was going to be the best Saturday ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy! I've been so busy lately! I've just about finished 'Don't Drink the Kool Aid.' And I'm preparing a bunch of new stories to be published very soon!


	8. Don't Stop Believing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the very first Bon fire of the summer and Max has a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe how successful this story is coming along! Thank you guys so much for reading it and leaving kudos and comments! It means a lot to me <3

The sun was setting in the sky as the counselors -attempted to- set up the bon fire while couple campers watched in awe.  
It was to be the first Bon fire of the summer, which excited many of the new kids seeing as they never got to experience the thrill of setting things on fire in the woods at night quite yet.

Hands in his purple hoodie pockets, Jasper watched contently as Max, Nikki, and Neil set up the wood. Gwen stood by his side, arms crossed, watching as well. It wasn't the funnest thing in the world, but watching the camp leaders running around was better than sitting in his tent listening to Davey gripe about everything. Besides, this was much more relaxing.

"MAX PUT THE GASOLINE DOWN."

"SHOVE A STICK UP YOUR ASS, NEIL."

Snickering in amusement, Gwen rocked back and forth in boredom. This was probably the most chaotic event of the summer, so far. No one knew what they were doing and there was going to be a huge fire surrounded by trees. Not to mention, Max just tried pouring gasoline on the entire wood pile. What a moron. Thank god Neil stopped him. Nikki would've probably allowed it just because she's crazy for chaos.  
Maybe Neil wasn't completely useless, though he was still a dick.  
A nudge to her side snapped Gwen out of her thoughts.

"Hey home skillet, Do you think they're gonna do camp songs this year?" Jasper pondered out loud, a smug smile on his face.

Pausing slightly, Gwen furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What?" Of course Jasper's concerned about something stupid like camp songs.

"Do you think they're gonna do camp songs this year?" Jasper repeated, "I mean, none of the councilors look that musical. I can't even imagine them singing or anything like that." He continued, eyes fixated on Nikki throwing logs half her size toward the other two counselors as if they weighed nothing.

"Huh, you're right. Maybe they'll rap for us or something." Shrugging Gwen also watched the counselors. It looked like they were almost finished. "Jasper, I think it's almost done. Should we go find Davey?" 

If looks could kill, Gwen would probably be dead where she stood.

Without looking at Gwen, Jasper grumbled. "Well, I don't want to do it. He hates me." The last few days he's been acting really weird. One minute Davey was chill beans, the next he was bagging on him whenever he had the chance. No thank you.

"NIKKI PUT THAT FUCKING SNAKE DOWN OR SO HELP ME-"

"LETS COOK IT!"

"NIKKI NO."

There were so many things Gwen could say. All of them ranging from 'huh, weird' To 'Hey dumbass open your eyes'. But, things like this was a delicate process. This wasn't some dumb fanfiction. You couldn't say something cheesy and have everything work out. Even if it didn't work out, it's not like you could click off the link and find a new fanfic to make up for the one that didn't work out.  
Signing in disappointment, Gwen secretly wished her life was like a fanfiction. 

"I don't think he hates you," She started cautiously, "Maybe Davey just has a lot going on in his head." This would work. For all she knew, her theory about the two could be wrong. It was best not to push it.

Groaning in annoyance, Jasper kicked at a rock on the ground. "He sure acts like he hates me. Lately all he does is glare at me or yell at me. Or he's really sarcastic and condescending. It feels like I did something wrong." 

"IT'S DONE THANK THE LORD ALMIGHTY."

"NEIL, YOU'RE AN ATHEIST."

"THATS HOW GLAD I AM THAT WE FINISHED, IT CHANGED MY RELIGION FOR FIVE MINUTES."

\----------------------

The night was actually running pretty smoothly. Sitting on the ground Gwen leaned against a log. Clementine, Jasper, and Davey sat to her side, and Jen sat on her other.

The night was dark and the stars shone so brightly. It was pretty relaxing, actually. Sending a glance toward the three to her side, Gwen listened in on their conversation. 

"-Then he hit me in the face with a stick!" Davey laughed softly as he told the story. He was smiling for once. "It was a pretty good hit, actually."

Smiling widely, Jasper chimed in, "Well, I thought you were a bear or something! I had a right." To his side, Clementine was giggling as she listened to the story.

"Hey Gwen?" 

Turning her attention away from her group, Gwen smiled sleepily at Jen. "Yeah, what's up?" When did it get so late already? It was like ten at night. Everyone else seemed to be full of energy though.

"Can I do your hair? I'd like to see you without your hair in a ponytail for once." Jen smiled sweetly, but her tone was slightly passive aggressive. 

Nodding slightly, Gwen felt a yawn coming up. She had to stay up though. There was no way in hell she was going to be the first to fall asleep. But, the fire was so warm...

Jen got up and sat on the log behind Gwen. Taking her ponytail out, Jen started to play with Gwen's hair softly.

Eyes closing finally, Gwen allowed herself to fall asleep. She was just so comfortable. Especially with someone playing with her hair.

"Max, cmon! Please please!" Nikki begged, "you need to go get it!"

"No." The answer was short and sweet. There was no way in hell Max was going to go to the cabin for it.

Nudging Max gently, Neil also chimed in. "Dude seriously! You're so good at it and we don't have any camp songs. Do it for the campers!"

"The fuck makes you think I have camp songs up my sleeve? It's not like I-ugh, would it make you guys shut up?"

Both the counselors nodded excitedly at Max's defeat. This earned an over dramatic sigh as he got up and began to walk toward the cabin.

The campers all looked around in confusion. No one really knew what Max was doing and some of the kids really didn't want to know.  
It wasn't until Max returned holding an instrument that everyone's faces lit up.

It was an ukulele.

Cheering excitedly, Nikki was practically bouncing up and down in her seat. "Max! You're the best!"

Smirking, Max sat back down with his friends. "I know. Any requests?"

"OOOOOH!~ THERE'S A PLACE I KNO-" 

"Shut the fuck up, Nikki. Over my dead body."

Stretching, Neil laughed softly. "How about that one by Journey? I think everyone knows that one."

Rolling his eyes, Max began to strum the ukulele to 'Don't Stop Believing'. "Literally everyone in America knows that song." Nonetheless, he kept playing. Occasionally muttering under his breath, "Down, Down, Down, Up, Up, Down- there we go."

Practically shouting the lyrics, Nikki sung with intense gusto.

"Just a small town girl  
Livin' in a lonely world  
She took the midnight train  
Goin' anywhere  
Just a city boy  
Born and raised in South Detroit  
He took the midnight train  
Goin' anywhere!!!!"

It didn't take long at all until a couple of campers started joining in, including Jasper. 

"A singer in a smokey room  
The smell of wine and cheap perfume  
For a smile they can share the night  
It goes on and on, and on, and on"

Upon seeing Jasper singing along, Clementine joined in excitedly, occasionally stumbling up a few of the words. But no one cared, everyone kept singing no matter what.

"Strangers waiting  
Up and down the boulevard  
Their shadows searching  
In the night  
Streetlight people  
Livin' just to find emotion  
Hidin' somewhere in the night"

By this time even Max was singing along. Davey's arms were crossed defensively around his chest. There was no way he would sing. This was stupid.

At least, until Jasper looked at him, his blue eyes shining bright with excitement. Without any hesitation, Jasper pushed playfully against Davey in hopes of getting him to lighten up.

Boy, did it work.

Face flushed red, Davey relaxed slightly and began to sing along with everyone else.

"Workin' hard to get my fill  
Everybody wants a thrill  
Payin' anything to roll the dice  
Just one more time  
Some will win  
Some will lose  
Some were born to sing the blues  
Oh, the movie never ends  
It goes on and on, and on, and on!"

At this point Nikki was attempting to play the air guitar. Instead she settled for the air ukulele. It didn't matter, this was also fun.

"Strangers waiting  
Up and down the boulevard  
Their shadows searching  
In the night  
Streetlight people  
Livin' just to find emotion  
Hidin' somewhere in the night"

Screwing around, a few of the campers were dancing ridiculously. Davey laughed at a few of them. They looked so stupid. Only an idiot would purposely dance like tha-Oh, for fucks sake.

To his side, Jasper was acing the sprinkler and the lawn mower. Face heating up in embarrassment, Davey hissed in Jasper's ear. "What are you doing? You look like a white dad at a barbecue."

It kind of made him stop, Jasper was laughing too hard at Davey's comment to keep it up. Whatever, that counted as a win. 

Max began strumming faster and louder at the last part of the song. This prompted the campers and counselors to sing louder as well. 

"Don't stop believin'  
Hold on to that feelin'  
Streetlight people  
Don't stop believin'  
Hold on  
Streetlight people  
Don't stop believin'  
Hold on to that feelin'  
Streetlight people!"

Putting more heart into the last strum than he would ever admit, Max looked around at his beaming friends and the campers who sat and watched in awe. 

Maybe tonight wasn't a complete bust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well what do you know? Character development B) I'm kind of proud of this chapter!


	9. A New Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently there's a new camper arriving today! Max would've appreciated it if someone told him about this sooner, Jasper is excited, David wants to die, and Nikki and Neil almost did die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *DRUMROLL PLEASE*

Usually when six am rolled around Camp Campbell, it was peaceful. The early day sun radiating off the camp grounds and the sound of children laughing and rough-housing would often be softly heard and the forest standing on the edges of the tents would be green and lush. The mornings were usually peaceful.

Except for when they weren't. Which was like today.

Neil sat at the messy desk in the councilors' cabin, a hand through his brunette curls, and a pencil in his other. Frantically filling out paperwork, Neil would occasionally glance up toward his friend who sat on the desk with a phone to his ear. Paperwork and various writing utensils were scattered upon the surface, but Max still made room to sit. After all, Neil had to hear this call too.

"A new camper? Jesus dic-I mean," taking a deep breath, Max put on his best camp counselor voice -just like Mr. Campbell had taught him when he applied for this shit job. "Sounds great! Here at Camp Campbell, everyone is welcome no matter how short notic-you already spoke to someone about this? Oh...Well! It may be kinda tough, but we'll make sure Daniel fits in right away! When are you sending the little guy down? Oh. Uh, well today? Okay...yeah, we can work with that! Yeah, anytime. Okay. Bye." 

Clicking the phone off, Max slumped down into his normal slouch. Since when had he even sat up straight? A sudden snickering snapped Max out of his mental spill. Punching his best friend, Neil in the arm, he shot him a nasty look. "Apparently we have a new camper. Which means more work. I thought we already had all the little shits taken care of." 

Without looking up, Neil continued filling out the paperwork for Daniel's arrival, clicking his pen obnoxiously. "Yeah, but it also means a bigger paycheck. God knows you need it. Didn't Nikki already tell you about this?" This earned another punch. 

The door swung upon dangerously, bouncing dangerously against the oaken wall of the cabin. Walking inside with great gusto, Nikki threw her arms up. "I'm done! I finished his tent! Maybe we'll luck out and get a good camper!" Making her way toward the boys, Nikki leaned against the wall next to Max. "Maybe he'll be as good a camper as Jasper! Wouldn't that be neat?"

Both rolling their eyes at the same time, Max and Neil continued whatever they were doing. Max was completely exhausted, lately he'd been leading activities while Neil and Nikki took care of preparing them and safety proofing them. He didn't want to prepare the camp for some random camper, he wanted to go to bed. 

"Woah, Max? Are you alright there?" Looking up from his stack of work, Neil shot his best friend a concerned look.  
Nodding his head, Max just shrugged. "Yeah, I'm good. Just tired."

"Go to bed, Max." Nikki crossed her arms and stood up taller. "We can take care of the new kid. You've been doing most of the physical work. Go to bed." 

Without wasting a second, Max practically leaped off the desk. "Hell yes! Okay, are you sure?" Sure he was tired but, if his friends needed him, what more was another day?

"Go to bed, you moron."

Well, that was that. Okay, a day of recuperation was definitely not a bad idea. Besides, Nikki and Neil could handle the new kid, right?  


* * *

Davey awoke to being launched several inches in the air before bouncing harshly back onto the flimsy cot. His heart practically stopped as Jasper continued bouncing unforgivingly."HOLY FUC-" He shouted in alarm before being interrupted by equally loud shouting. "Davey!! Davey! Davey!" Jasper shouted obnoxiously. Having done a -very well impersonated- superman leap onto his best friend's cot in excitement before he continued bouncing up and down. "Davey! Wake up! I've gotta tell you something!"

"I-I'm awake!" Davey's shout had somehow turned into an embarrassing voice crack. Cursing the world as he opened his eyes, pretending that it never happened. Right now he needed a cup of coffee or an untraceable handgun. Either one would have worked. 

Plopping down to lay facing Davey, A smile spread across Jasper's face, showing his freckles brightly. "Guess what?" Eyes wide with excitement, and a smile so wide it reminded Davey of a kid on Christmas, Jasper whisper-shouted as if he was hiding a big secret.

Immediately taking note of how close his best friend was, Davey suddenly wasn't as tired anymore. Heart beating suddenly faster, Davey realized he could see Jasper's light brown hair was messy and sticking up in certain places and he too was still in his pajamas as well. God, what time even was it? 

"What? What is it?" Davey asked in a sleepy excitement. 

"We have a new camper coming today!"

Taking a moment to take in Jasper's words, David slowly sat up, grabbed his pillow and proceeded to beat Jasper with it. "I don't care! It's too early in the morning for this! I thought you were going to tell me something important!"

Laughing, Jasper blocked his face from the soft fluffy blows with his arms. "It's gonna be bitchin'! Besides its already 6 in the morning! Wake up, sleeping beauty."

Davey took in a deep breath for patience before placing his hands on Jasper's chest and pushing harshly, practically launching his best friend off of his cot onto the ground.

"Go. To. Bed." He was going to go back to sleep. It was too early for this shit.

* * *

Nikki and Neil stood in their spots outside, awaiting the new camper. It was exactly like the beginning of the summer with Max. Except instead of waiting for an army of trouble makers, they were expecting just one. This wasn't uncommon however. Nikki remembered last summer, kids would always apply late due to school getting out at a different time or something like summer school, so nothing seemed really weird about this situation.

Until a black car with tinted windows pulled up in front of the two councilors -making a rather harsh stop. Nikki jumped back, grabbing the back of Neil's shirt and pulling him with her. "HOLY SHIT." He screeched, being dragged away from danger's reach by Nikki. 

Before either could make out exactly what had just happened, the sound of a car door slamming caused Nikki and Neil to snap their heads up to see a small boy standing in front of them. 

"Holy sh-" Neil began, before getting punched in the shoulder by Nikki.

"Erhm, Hello, Daniel. Welcome to Camp Campbell!" Nikki practically shouted in fake excitement. Taking a step back with Neil, she decided this was going to be the weirdest summer ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the long awaited Daniel chapters begin now!!! Enjoy!~


	10. That's Kinda Gay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel is causing troubles among the trio, Jasper is getting mad, and Davey does something kinda crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOWIE THIS TURNED OUT MORE FLUFFY THAN I THOUGHT
> 
>  
> 
> Anywayyyy I'm sorry I haven't updated very often, it was my birthday, school has been crazy, and I've been super busy! Hope this makes up for it!

Daniel made his way through the camp, a blank expression on his face as he analyzed his surroundings with an intense focus. Having deciding it best to explore by himself without those pesky adults getting in the way of his findings, Daniel preferred to be alone.

There was something peaceful about being by yourself. There was no need to talk to anyone and it was relaxing. The stress of communication was nonexistent. Daniel liked being alone because he could think and say whatever he wanted without it being "wrong" or "silly".

The sound of loud chatter interrupted Daniel from admiring the uniform dictatorship of an anthill on the ground. Looking up curiously, Daniel was greeted by three kids about his age. 

"God damn Davey! That was off the heazy-" Jasper stopped completely and stared at Daniel blankly, forgetting to complete his sentence as his smile faded almost instantly upon seeing Daniel.

The new kid looked exactly like his best friend in almost every single way-down to each and every detail. The only difference distinguishing the two apart was Daniel's platinum blonde hair, the lack of freckles-or any markings at all; scars, moles, freckles, there was nothing of the sort, and the piercing electric blue eyes that stared daggers toward Jasper the moment he made eye contact with the proclaimed doppelgänger. 

Gwen and Davey both stopped upon Jasper's sudden mood drop in an attempt to identify the source of the shock. In almost no time at all Gwen nudged David and nodded toward the oddly familiar looking boy standing in front of the trio.

With a quirk of the eyebrow, David crammed his hands into his pockets and looked Daniel up and down curiously in an attempt to maybe gather information. The new kid had an aura of familiarity that Davey couldn't exactly place. He looked out of place though, instead of wearing the traditional yellow Camp Campbell shirt, Daniel wore a light blue sweater. "You're the new camper, aren't you?" He then squinted suspiciously. "You look awfully familiar. Where's your piss yellow, ugly Camp shirt?"

Tearing his stare from the already nervous Jasper, Daniel scowled toward his obnoxious counterpart with disdain. "I applied late. I never got one."

Deciding to take a chance Gwen began to walk toward Daniel. "You really do look familiar though!" Smirking softly she pointed toward Daniel's hair floof. "Is that your natural hair color?"

Gwen's kind tone couldn't falter Daniel's blank stare toward the trio as if they were gum on the bottom of his shoe. "Yeah. So? Why do you care?"

Before Gwen could make a comment back, Davey stepped in, his eyebrow raised in amusement and a smirk on his face. "Well, Daniel. Maybe we do care. Why don't you tag along with us for a bit? Better than being alone, right? I can show you around the camp."

Jasper quickly shot his best friend an unreadable look, his blue eyes wide. Mouth slightly agape as if he was shocked, he then turned to face Daniel with the same deer in the headlights look.

Casting one last look toward the no longer interesting anthill, Daniel concluded he would be back for it later. He made his way over to David's side before sneering at the other two kids in a condescending manner.  
\--------

Sloppily scooping the mashed potatoes from his dinky plastic tray, Daniel plopped them down on his pizza slice as he rested his head in his hand, zoning out completely toward an empty wall. Gwen and Jasper both gave each other a slightly concerned look before they continued watching Daniel's...whatever he was doing as David proudly rambled about catching a wild gopher.

The last few days had been complete torture for the trio-Jasper especially. The new kid, had been hanging out with the trio nonstop. Usually making friends was one of Jasper's strong suits. He loved meeting new people! Ever since he was younger he had a knack for talking to people. However, Daniel was a different case. He was weird. The kid was smart, he'd give him that. But, he was always doing something off.

He was always talking about galaxy wars and being a savior or something. Assuming it was a Star Wars reference or something of the sort, Jasper felt something darker lay beneath the surface.

However David seemed to really like Daniel a lot. They were almost always together and the two were always coming up with cheesy inside jokes. Something Jasper and David always did. 

Not that he cared or anything.

 

Nonetheless Jasper took his tray and dumped the remains in the trash before making his way back to the table to join his friends and Daniel.

\--------------

"Davey and Daniel are like always together! During camp activities they sit next to each other and in their free time they never ever leave each other's side! Why does he even like that kid so much? What's the big whoop?"

Slumping down against Gwen's cot, Jasper crossed his arms at even the thought of sharing his best friend with the new kid. Gwen, Jen, and Clem had let him come to their tent to vent while Davey and Daniel took over the boys' tent. So at least Jasper wasn't completely alone for once.

Gwen sat on her cot over Jasper as she messed with his hair boredly, listening to him rant nonstop about the new kid. To be honest Jasper hadn't shut up about Daniel for the last few days and it was getting kind of old. But it's not like she had anything else to do, anyway. 

Jen and Clem both sat on the floor on either side of Jasper, eyes wide with excitement and anticipation for the angsty boy drama. It was probably a good thing that they were giving him advice, they knew how to handle drama fairly well, better than Gwen and Jasper anyway.

"You know, I don't get what the Big Mac is so important about Daniel. He just makes me so angry. He's so...weird." Jasper grumbled slightly dramatically. "Like, why does Davey like him so much? He calls me weird almost every day! What about that kid?? He's weirder!"

Laughing softly, Gwen continued to fiddle with the light brown strands gently. "Well, maybe you're just jealous...Wow your hair is really soft. What conditioner do you use?" 

"I use Pantene to keep these luscious locks clean." Jasper did a dramatic hair flip and struck a pose causing almost everyone to burst out laughing. 

"Ohmigod, you totally have a thing for Davey!" Jen practically screeched out of the blue, earning several dirty looks. "I-I mean, it just sounds like it at least."

All traces of Jasper's smile disappeared as a small blush dusted his freckled cheeks. "Don't be silly. I don't have a thing for anyone. Let's not talk about it."

With that, an awkward silence filled the tent.

"Have any of you noticed how much Daniel looks like David?!" Jasper blurted out rather loudly. "They could be twins except for the hair and the fact that Davey never smiles." 

Finally releasing the boys hair, Gwen stretched and leaned back nonchalantly. "Davey smiles around you!~" she teased smugly.

Finally fed up with all of the Davey and Daniel talk as well as the constant teasing, Jasper took little to no time standing up and marching out of the tent. There was no way in hell he could handle this today.

Before heading back to his tent, a hand dug into his flashy purple shorts and pulled out an old school iPod. Jasper then hurriedly turned it on and began to walk toward his shared tent. Right now listening to some cool jams would probably help him chill his head and think a bit before heading back to deal with those morons. 

'Wise men say only fools rush in...but I can't help falling in love with you.'

Jasper took a deep breath of the forest air and let the scent of pine needles and birch take him over. The breeze blew lazily enough to keep him cool through the afternoon sun, but it wasn't harsh enough to be a nuisance. Taking the moment to close his eyes and listen to his music, Jasper sighed softly.

 

'Shall I stay? Would it be a sin if I can't help falling in love with you.~ Like a river flows, surely to the sea.~'

Rolling his eyes, Jasper skipped this song. Usually he loved Elvis! But as of late, certain songs had been getting on his nerves, especially the romantic ones. He just wanted to chill and think, not worry about romance. Associating songs with certain people never ended well. Especially when in the end only the memories remained. After skipping quite a few songs, one finally popped up that Jasper kind of liked.

'I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind. I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time. I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon. I feel there's nothing I could do.'

He didn't even know why Daniel and Davey pissed him off so badly. Or more so, why Davey replaced him so easily. Jasper and Davey used to be best friends. They did everything together, or at least used to.

'watched the world float to the dark side of the moon. After all I knew it had to be something to do with you. I really don't mind what happens now and then as long as you'll be my friend at the end.'

Gathering the courage to enter the tent wasn't quite as hard as Jasper expected it to be. He unzipped the tent flap and took a nonchalant step inside. David and Daniel were both on David's cot reading a comic book quietly.

The moment Jasper let the sun shine through the makeshift door, he was greeted by green almond shaped eyes staring into his. However, Jasper just sent his friend a dirty look before flopping onto his own cot, turning his music up higher to drown out his confusing feelings.

'If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman? If I'm alive and well will you be there holding my hand? I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might. Kryptonite.'

"-Jasper?"

Taking his earbuds out to cast a glance toward Davey, Jasper felt himself frowning slightly. It's not like he meant to be in a bad mood, it just happened. "What?"

Both Daniel and Davey were sitting up, staring at Jasper with a slight aura of concern, Davey was frowning slightly as he spoke. "What's your problem? You've been being so weird."

It took almost every ounce of Jasper's patience to not snap back in anger at David's annoying accusation. Instead he swung his legs harshly over the side of his cot to face the two boys. "I have no problem! You're the ones who's been being weird." Okay so maybe his nerves had been running thin. But couldn't Davey shut his stupid mouth for one minute?

Practically jumping off his cot, Davey defensively stood in front of Jasper, arms crossed and a glare on his face in an attempt to seem tougher than he actually was. "Me and Daniel have been doing fine. It's you who's been being a freak. What's your deal?"

"Just leave me alone! God damn it Davey! I'm just pissy! Now bug off." Jasper wasn't aware he was standing until his face was mere inches from David's. "I don't want to talk about it!" He practically shouted, his cheeks turning red either from anger or from being this close David. Either way it didn't matter.

All patience out the window, David felt no guilt about shouting. "I've noticed you're pissy! Tell me why! I'm worried about you!" Adding an extra dramatic foot stomp in for effect, David kept shouting. "Jasper you are so annoying! You never talk to me anymore!"

Fists clenched tightly, breath unusually shaky, and flashing red in his mind, Jasper had enough. "You say that but it's you who's shutting me out! It's all about Daniel! It's always Daniel! YOU don't talk to ME anymore and-and you just replaced me, David! You never cared about me or Gwen or...or ANYTHING. Don't you dare blame this on me."

Then there was a cold silence. Nothing could be heard besides Daniel's constant snickering. Davey cast a look toward his cot and sent his friend a confused stare. 

"Wow, you guys are morons." The snickering turned into chuckling. Daniel then began to stand up. "David was just showing me around the camp. No need to get your panties in a twist. I have better things to do than steal your boyfriend."

Practically throwing himself toward the blonde, Jasper didn't care if he got in trouble. He didn't care if he got hurt. Jasper was going to knock Daniel's face clean off for being such a dick. 

The only thing keeping him from swinging was David. Somehow he managed to catch Jasper before he actually did any damage, to the brunette's dismay. 

"LET ME GO DAVID. I'M GOING TO KNOCK HIS BLOCK OFF. LET ME GO." Jasper shouted loudly as he flailed around and squirmed violently. Davey kept his arms around Jasper in a sort of bear hug, holding him down to -hopefully- prevent any damage.

A devious grin spread across Daniel's face as he began to walk toward the tent flap. "Oh wow Jasper! You were totally going to hit me weren't you? It would be such a shame if someone were to tell the counselors about this!~"

"YOU BITCH ASS, COME HER-" The hand on Jasper's mouth silenced his shouting for a mere moment as Daniel laughed obnoxiously before taking his leave -totally not because he was afraid or anything-. 

As soon as the source of his anger finally left, Jasper sighed in defeat. Sure he was still angry. But, Davey continued to hold onto him tightly. After a moment the hand on Jasper's mouth finally moved, yet the hug still continued. 

"U-Uh, Davey? You can let me go now. I promise I won't hurt him...I guess I just kinda lost it...Not that that's an excuse or anything..." Jasper definitely felt ashamed about yelling and threatening Daniel, but he would easily do it again in a heartbeat. Jasper then did something kind of crazy. He wrapped his arms around Davey as well and rested his head on his shoulder. Truth be told this was comfortable and Jasper was ready for a nap after all the shouting and drama.

"You're such a dip shit, Jasper." Davey grumbled in annoyance before sighing softly. "If you even hit him you'd probably get sent back for the summer or something. What was that even about?"

"I told you. You've been spending more time with him than m-Gwen and I. It was getting annoying. I shouldn't have gotten so mad." His voice was small as he spoke. Even Jasper wasn't used to it and honestly he hated it.

Another awkward silence filled air for quite a few minutes. The two probably could have stayed like that for hours, hugging it out. But, both Davey and Jasper knew that was impossible. 

"I was trying to be like you. At the beginning of the summer you helped Clem and Jen find some friends and I thought I could do that too...like you. If you could do it I could most likely do it better and I wanted to prove that." David sighed quietly, relaxing his grip slightly.

Jasper took the opportunity to gently push away from the other slightly. He ignored the fact that Davey kept his arms around him. Looking up at his friend, Jasper couldn't hide the disbelief in his voice. "Davey, you don't have to be like me. That's dumb. I'm sorry I was so mad. I really shouldn't have been...I just-"

Fwish

Both Davey and Jasper snapped their gaze toward the now widely open tent door. Gwen held the tent door open as her and Clementine looked up and paused as Davey quickly pushed Jasper off of him, an embarrassed blush on both their faces.

Coughing awkwardly, Gwen placed her hand on Clementine's back and nudged her to back away. "Oh! Well, we were just checking on you two...glad to see that you guys are fixing your...friendship."

Smiling softly, Clementine's southern accent began to softly show as she spoke. "Yeah! You guys look like everything's been part near fixed so I guess me Gwen will leave now." Both girls looked at each other as they slowly backed out of the tent.  
\-------

The moment Clementine reclosed the tent doors, both girls began to dash toward their tent to tell Jen the good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song ; https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xPU8OAjjS4k


	11. People are Dumb Sometimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Davey and Max talk it out and discuss a few serious matters including homelife, Daniel and Jasper's fight, and crushes. 
> 
>  
> 
> PURE MAXDAD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I have some great news!
> 
> 1) I'm off of school for about 4 days which means more consistent updates!
> 
> 2.) I have so many plans for new stories I just have to work out a few more details!
> 
> 3.) People have started to draw fanart of my other Camp Camp stories (Nothing Sweeter Than Revenge and Don't Drink the Koolaid) and honestly I'm so happy! I even included one of them in one of the recent chapters! So thank you guys so much for everything! <3

Whenever something crazy happened Davey always found himself repeating it nonstop in his mind. Just like a broken record, memories would just play on repeat until he could discover adequate answers for whatever predicament he was in. This has always been an odd habit of the redhead, but there was something comforting about discovering the answers for yourself. Sometimes he'd think about arguments that could possibly be won by a slightly cooler remark than the one already spoken, or sometimes he'd think of his friends and their motives for acting a certain way. But not this time; this time he was thinking about a certain nuisance he'd been trying to avoid for quite a while, the whole summer to be exact.

 

Jasper had been driving him crazy these last few days. Sometimes Davey noticed small changes from the way his best friend had started looking at him to how close he'd been getting whenever they had the chance, to the way that Jasper risked getting kicked out of Camp Campbell in the hopes of beating up Daniel for being a shit head. 

As Davey lazily lay back on his cot, staring at the ceiling, he allowed his thoughts to wander. Was Jasper really-

The tent door suddenly zipped open alarmingly fast. Quickly sitting up, Davey rolled his eyes when he saw it was just Max. Turning away from the older, Davey crossed his arms in hopes of making the other leave. "What do you want?" He snapped.

Not a word was spoken as Max rezipped the flimsy plastic door before making his way toward the make shift bed. Once Max had sat down on the cot next to Davey, he turned to face the camper, a concerned look on his face. "Davey. Daniel told me something very upsetting and I need to talk to you about it." He began solemnly, scratching the back of his head unsurely.

At even the mention of Daniel's name, Davey felt his heart stop. "What...did he say? Was it bad? He's a liar! He's just trying to get me and Jasper in trouble!" Voice raising with each word, David felt his heart beating rapidly. 

Max placed a hand on Davey's back in hopes of comforting him. "Look, it's nothing bad, really. Chill out, okay?" At that Davey gave Max the most fearful, wide eyed expression the counselor had seen in a long time. "What's that look for? Jesus fuck. Daniel just told me that Jasper...lashed out at him. Is that true?"

At that Davey's heart dropped into his stomach and his blood turned to ice. "Is Jasper in trouble?" He whispered, fear taking over from his thoughts to his voice. If Jasper had to leave Camp Campbell, Davey wouldn't be able to see him until school started. That was way too long without his best friend. Besides, Jasper loved Camp more than anything in the world. Getting kicked out would crush him.

Leaning back, Max just shrugged nonchalantly. "Nah. I honestly think the little shit deserved it. Neil and I already spoke to Jasper and he told us what happened." Chuckling slightly at Davey's sigh of relief, Max continued. "However, I wanted to talk to you specifically about something else."

Taking Davey's silence as a queue to continue talking Max honestly didn't know how to begin about this. When he himself was younger there was so much going on in his life that caused Max to be a little asshole, but it wasn't easy to address it. If Max was right about the troublemaker, he'd have to be careful with what he said.

"Is everything okay, Davey?" Max awkwardly began, "like at home? Or even here at Camp? You've been really...Erh, well you've been very...harsh? I mean-"

"I'm fine." Davey practically snarled, harshly turning away from Max. "Just fuck off."

It took every ounce of willpower to not get mad, But somehow Max managed. "That means things are not okay but you don't want to talk about it. Doesn't it?" He spoke softly as if talking to a helpless puppy. Sure Davey was a thirteen year old boy, but he was still a kid. Obviously by his reaction he wasn't exactly keen on talking about his feelings.

A hush fell over the room at Max's comment. What he said was true, spot on even. But, Davey wouldn't -no couldn't- talk about it. There was so much going on in his mind. "Why should I tell you? Adults don't give a shit. They never do. What's in it for you?"

There it was, that counted as kind of talking about it. Whatever, Max would take it. Taking a deep breath, he finally spoke again. "It's scary isn't it? Wanting to talk about it, but worrying about what they'll say." Max tried "So you just keep it to yourself and hide all the bad stuff so no one looks at you different. But, that only lasts so long."

Eyes widening again, Davey turned to face Max rather quickly. "What the hell are you talking about?" He whisper shouted.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, David." 

At the use of his real name, a shiver went down Davey's spine. No one ever called him David unless he was either in trouble or there was a serious situation. The word seemed almost foreign to him all together. Even during school if the substitute teachers called 'David' on roll call it never really registered to him. He was always 'Davey'.

"Do I, Maxwell?" The red head shot back out of fear or anger, he wasn't exactly sure himself. He wanted the older to shut up. He was getting closer to Davey's thoughts and it made the boy worry. No one understood him, or at least that's what Davey always told himself. But, Max was finally proving him wrong.

Lifting himself up to face Davey more clearly, striking blueish-green eyes met shining green. "Yes, you do." He spoke shortly, though his tone remained calm and collected.

Finally cracking, Davey looked everywhere but the counselor as he spoke. "I don't get along with my family. They're harsh. Like, they don't abuse me or anything...they're just mean. It's like I fuck everything up and they make sure I know it."

Max nodded his head slightly, listening to every word. A sense of familiarity and sadness began to take form in his chest. But, he wouldn't say anything quite yet about his own experiences until Davey was ready. "What about Gwen and Jasper? Lately, you've been kind of short with them. Have you apologized or is there something else going on?" Though Max was worried about his camper, he was nosy as hell. 

This earned a scoff from the younger as he rolled his eyes. "I don't know. Gwen's cool but me and Jasper..." He trailed off as a blush began to spread across his cheeks. "I don't know. I'm not going to talk about it." 

Suddenly, it clicked. Max suddenly knew exactly why Jasper and Davey wouldn't get along. It all made sense. "Oh. Oh! Oh shit, David. I gotcha. Do you need to talk about it?" He spoke awkwardly, though Max really wanted nothing more than to help the troublemaker, he really had no experience with dating advice or even pining. He could try but this was probably more up Nikki or Neil's ally.

Face completely red, Davey practically screeched. "NO I'M FINE SHUT UP. I HAVE IT HANDLED." Nothing but lies, but talking to an adult -a summer camp counselor at that- about crushes would be excruciatingly awkward. No way in hell was it going to happen anyway.

Another silence filled the space between the two for quite a few moments. Finally Max spoke once more. "I understand, kid. If you do need to talk about it, ask Neil or Nikki okay? They might know more about this stuff." 

Nodding slightly, Davey did his best to hide his blush. He even considered taking his advice. The key word was considered. 

"Davey, do you know why I'm talking to you about this stuff?" Max gave the younger a worried look as he spoke.

Shaking his head Davey stared at the ground. "No..."

"I don't want you to turn out like I did." Placing his arm around Davey in a side hug, Max smiled softly. "You are capable of so much. I worry that you'll be angry forever. When I was your age I was quite possibly the meanest little shit you'd ever see. All because I wouldn't talk to anyone. But, I want you to talk to me, Davey. Okay?"

At this point Davey was smiling softly as well. "Y-Yeah. I can do that. But what if it's a dumb problem?"

Max rolled his eyes as he released the younger from the hug. "No problem is too dumb. I'm here to talk. It's kind of my job as a camp counselor."

"Max! Are you done?" A staticky, annoyed voice chimed in from around the counselor's waist causing both boys to jump. 

Bringing the walkie talkie to his ear, Max pressed a button and spoke into the box. "Yeah, Neil. I'm heading back now."

"Good, hurry up we need to talk to Gwen now. I need back up, the little shit hates me." Neil grumbled.

"Okay I'll be there in a minute." Max spoke in his normal annoyed tone once more.

Quickly turning to face Davey, Max shoved the walkie talkie back onto his belt. "Hey, Davey I gotta go now. But remember what I said, okay?" Pausing softly he began to head for the door. "I'll keep you updated about the whole Jasper and Daniel shit going on okay? I don't think anyone's going to get in trouble though."

With a small smile, Davey knew he felt much better already. "Thanks, I guess." He muttered awkwardly. That's what this whole talk had been, awkward. But, a good kind of awkward.


	12. The Story is Only as Good as the Filler Chapters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are tense after Jasper and Daniel's fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm surprised at how popular this story has gotten!! Thank you all so much for reading and leaving kudos and comments! It means a lot and each comment and kudos lets me know that you guys want more! Thank you so much!!! <3

It was another day, another hike. Nothing had really changed since the last one, but still the counselors insisted it was about time to go on another journey of nature. The only difference from this hike and all the others was that this was a different route leading up the mountain instead of by the camp ground, this providing more to explore.

Jasper had spent the entire morning rambling about the excitement of the new route. Claiming things such as 'We haven't been on this path in forever, Davey!' And 'It'll be a fun change!' But Davey wasn't impressed with today's activity to say the least. In fact, he's rather shoot himself in the foot than go explore the trees. But, he wasn't going to ruin his best friend's fun.

It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter though. It was all up to Max, Nikki, and Neil, like always. Davey was often convinced that the only reason the counselors encouraged hiking so much was the fact that Nikki was obsessed with nature and probably forced Max and Neil to come along. But that was just a theory.

 

With a snarky cross of his arms and a swift kick of a small rock on the ground, Davey deemed it best to just avoid the crowd of the hike. Most of the kids there were morons anyway. The fact that kids even enjoyed hiking through the woods in the summer heat only to be swarmed with bugs and dirt baffled Davey. He never got the appeal.

"NIKKI PUT THE SNAKE DOWN!" Neil bellowed from the front of the line. Less than seconds later the sound of an almost menacing laugh resonated nearby, no doubt Nikki.

Jasper had run off somewhere so Davey had lost track off him quite awhile ago and Gwen was hanging out with Jenn and Clem a few feet ahead. 

That left Davey all alone for once. 

While the red head often complained about always having people around, being alone wasn't ideal either. It made him lonely. But, he could never admit that. Davey even considered talking to Daniel, who was walking alone as well. 

Gathering up the courage, Davey marched over toward the blonde and put on a warm smile. "Hey what's up?" He started, hoping to make conversation after the whole fiasco involving Jasper and Daniel's fight.

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at Davey's sudden friendliness, but didn't back away. "Hello, David. Where's your boyfriend?" He snarked in annoyance.

Flinching softly at Daniel's comment, Davey just shrugged. "Oh, ha ha...Yeah, Jaspers just a friend, Danny. Besides, comments like that are kinda..." He began, but trailed off. Daniel rolled his eyes and stuck his hands in his pockets. 

An awkward moment of silent passed before either of them spoke again. "I see you finally got the gross ass yellow shirt. How do you...like it?" Davey tried again. He wasn't nervous, no way. He was just making conversation.

With an irritated glare, Daniel shrugged. "It's whatever I guess. It's a shirt." Pausing slightly he looked toward the ground as he walked. "A shitty shirt. But, still a shirt." He was attempting to remain casual as well, but it wasn't working for either of the boys.

With a soft chuckle, Davey pinched the gross yellow fabric of his shirt between his fingers. "Honestly, I feel like the owner of the camp tried to find the ugliest colour he could've just to make these." Nervously, Davey locked eyes with Daniel's piercing blue. "I, uh, that's what I think at least." He continued quietly.

Daniel then sighed loudly and dramatically, yet he didn't break eye contact. "I'm going to cut to the chase, David. Why are you being so nervous around me?" Daniel smugly asked, smirking in amusement. "Do I intimidate you or something?" Though his tone remained blank, his expression showed otherwise.

With a small shrug Davey, averted his eyes toward the ground. "I am not! I'm just, well...Do you hate me? Cause the fight?" He ran a hand through his auburn hair nervously, anticipating the answer. Davey may talk big a lot, but he wasn't one for confrontation.

Daniel chuckled softly upon the question. "That's sweet, Davey. But I wouldn't hate you. You're too nice." He hummed smugly. "Jasper better watch out though. I don't care for him much." He concluded harshly.

Nodding slightly, Davey concluded he had enough of this conversation. "Yeah, I get it. I'll talk to you later, okay Dan?" He smiled once more before he walked away from the awkward situation.

"Davey! C'mere!" Jasper shouted from a few feet ahead of him, a short distance ahead of him.

A warm smile spread across his face as Davey practically jogged over. "What is it?" He mused in excitement.

"Well, I saw you walking alone, so I figured we could walk together. If that's chill with you?" Shrugging casually, Jasper smiled softly. "If not, you ca-"

Quickly cutting Jasper off, Davey shook his head. "No, I wanna walk with you. We haven't talked much today anyway." He too smiled warmly.

With a slightly concerned look, Jasper tilted his head. "Woah there, Davey. Careful, it's almost like you LIKE hanging out with me." He joked.

"Meh, I just like having someone to push around. You know that." Davey shoved his hands into his pockets, but he beamed at Jasper's comment nonetheless.

Rolling his eyes, Jasper hummed carelessly. "Yeah, whatever." He smiled as well before he began to admire the nature of the hike as the two walked together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry!!! I've had terrible writers block and went on hiatus! But I'm back now!! This is just kind of a short chapter to get the creativity flowing for new updates


	13. Idealism Isn't ALWAYS Childish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Cameron Campbell pays Camp Campbell a visit and is making his visit well stayed, to the annoyance of the counselors and even a few campers. Davey, gets a new role model.

Max always woke up with the sun. It's not like he meant to, but his internal alarm clock had always prevented him from sleeping in. This meant that as the morning sun would rise steadily into the pale blue sky, Max would often be up preparing for the day. 

The floor boards of the wooden cabin creaked softly with each footstep he took heading to the kitchen. Max was careful not to make too much noise, knowing that both Nikki and Neil were not morning people. With a huge yawn, Max filled the coffee pot with water before switching it on. As the coffee maker whirred, Max turned his attention toward the sink. Filling up a cup with ice cold water he chugged it almost instantaneously. Grabbing a bruised apple from the counter and taking a gracious bite, Max decided to take his leave of the kitchen and watch some TV. Maybe find a good show and wait for the rest of camp to stir awake.

However, his plan was quickly forgotten as Max made it to the doorway leading into the living room area. Once he looked toward the couch, his apple fell to the floor. 

"M-Mr. Campbell? What are you doing here?" Max wasn't aware he stuttered until he heard his own shaky voice betray him. 

Mr. Campbell shot Max a toothy grin before standing up. "Well, I had to stop by and grab some extra money for...a business proposition!" Placing his hands on his hips, Mr. Campbell stood in a proud stance, earning an eyeroll from Max. "But, I, uh...Have some people looking for me so I need to lay low for a few hours until I can escape-I mean, be on my way! It's not really anything to worry about. Right, Maxie?" He laughed deeply before walking toward a painting hanging on the wall, throwing it open, and cracking a safe burrowed in the wall.

Max felt an anger boiling up in his chest. But, he knew he couldn't say much, seeing as this was the man who signed his already pathetic paycheck. "It's Max. Not 'Maxie'." He hissed before bending down and grabbing hold of his runaway apple. "I'd prefer it if you stayed out of the way while the other Camp Counselors and I lead activities today." There was a venom in Max's words, but he kept his voice down. 

 

Eventually, it was time for Nikki and Neil to crawl out of bed. Both of them looked exhausted; bags under their eyes, a scowl plastered to their face, and a slouch that would make Quasimodo jealous. Max secretly pitied the both of them. He pitied them way more once the two of them both walked in to see Mr. Campbell proudly lecturing Max on 'managing life'. Max knew he could never forget the terror in their faces as they slowly backed out of the room, unnoticed by the older.

The campers loved Mr. Campbell to Max, Nikki, and Neil's dismay. No matter how many times they tried to keep Mr. Campbell from pestering the kids, it was no use. He always found a way. Thus throwing any chance of keeping the kids distracted on an activity out the window.

The three of them watched as Mr. Campbell was giving a small group of kids a lecture on how the government was all a giant conspiracy.  
"Maybe, we should just let him do his thing?" Nikki suggested, clearly out of ideas. "He's not really doing any harm...I'm sure the campers are smart enough to know he's a liar!" Her tone was hopeful, yet still uncertain.

"No." Max hissed. Glaring daggers toward the older, he lowered his voice. "God, I hate him. He doesn't even care about the camp and just LOOK at him. Walking around like he owns the place..." With an extra annoyed sigh, Max shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets.

Neil rolled his eyes at the childish behavior. "Max, he DOES own the place. Besides, it's less work for us. Let him do his thing." With a shrug, Neil took his leave, heading for the cabin. 

With an exaggerated scoff, Max set his attention back on Mr. Campbell, earning a concerned glance from Nikki.

"-This is why we have to collect silver! When the government crashes, this will be our new currency." Mr. Campbell held up two silver coins to show the group of kids. 

Davey gasped and quickly looked toward his friends too see their reactions to this brand new /helpful/ information. Gwen kept her arms crossed defensively as she glared up at the older. Meanwhile, Jasper tilted his head curiously before holding his hand out. "May I please see them? I'll give them back." He questioned casually.

With a firm nod, Mr. Campbell handed both the coins to Jasper carefully. "Now be careful kid! That's real silver! If you lost those it would be a waste of-what are you doing." Smile completely dropping, Mr. Campbell sent an agitated glare toward Jasper.

Humming slightly Jasper held the coins at an angle. "Nothing really. Just testing something." He smiled kindly toward Mr. Campbell before he clinked the silver coins against each other, earning a dull sound. "Hm. Here." He handed the silver back to the older before shrugging. "Either I didn't do that right or you've got a couple of duds, Mr. Campbell. Silver pings when it hits against something...or so I've heard."

Eye twitching in annoyance, Mr. Campbell pocketed both coins. "Oh, they're real, my boy! I can guarantee that! That's enough about me though! I've got to head to the cabin to check on something." Turning on his heel to leave, Davey held onto his shirt. 

"I can come too, Mr. Campbell! I wanna help!" He smiled, forest green eyes shining brightly with wonder. "Please let me help!" He added energetically only to receive a pat on the head from the older.

"I'm afraid not, little buddy. This is adult business. Go back to your tent." With that Mr. Campbell made his way toward the Counselors cabin, leaving behind Davey with the rest of the group.

A wide smile on her face, Gwen patted Jasper on the back. "That was cool! How did you know about that silver stuff?" She beamed proudly.

Jasper shrugged casually. "I dunno, my Dad taught me a few years ago. We used to volunteer a lot and during a fling at a thrift store he taught me how to tell. It's not a big deal. I feel bad for Mr. Campbell though."

\------------------------------------------

Eventually, Mr. Campbell grabbed his stash of money and left. But not without giving Max a lecture on work etiquette and giving him tips on how to succeed in life like him.

Nonetheless all three of the counselors were glad to see him go.

•••••••••••••••••••••••

Davey stared toward the ceiling of the cramped tent with a smile on his face. Laying on his flimsy cot, he allowed himself to daydream. He had a lot to think about. Davey was so caught up in his thoughts he barely heard Jasper unzip the cheap plastic they called a tent door before opening the flap wide, leaving the screen up to see the beauty of the woods without the nuisance of bugs buzzing around the already small space. 

"Jasper?" Davey mumbled giddily. 

Already hopping into his own cot, Jasper turned to face Davey's side. "What'cha need dude?" He beamed in response.

"I want to be like Mr. Campbell when I grow up. He's so cool." Davey smugly turned to face Jasper's side, now making eye contact with the other. "That way when the government crashes I could know what to do and save people like he said." 

Jasper almost choked when he heard that. Never imagining he'd see Davey that excited over something, he was at a loss for words. "Uh, sure Davey. Just remember that sometimes people can...we don't KNOW that the government is gonna..." Pausing to see Davey's expression, Jasper's heart sank when he saw his best friend starting to frown. "Actually, you can do anything you want, Davey." Upon seeing Davey excited smile, Jasper grinned back. "Yeah, just do you, mkay?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna! I'll be cool like him one day!" Davey beamed before sitting up and turning out the weak lamp. The light barely did anything to help see anyway, it was practically there for decoration. Nonetheless, Davey rolled into his side to face Jasper once more. "...Goodnight Jasp..." He mumbled, barely above a whisper, but Jasper was already out.


End file.
